The Maka

Over the weekend I visited a Maka village with Jana and Katie. Jana had made contact with a missionary couple living near the village before our trip, so we were able to hear about their work and have a guided tour. Rosemary and Matthew are linguists, originally from Washington, but they have spent most of their lives living in Central and South America. They have already translated the entire Bible into two other indigenous languages. As you can imagine, they are quite old and quite lovely. We heard all sorts of inspiring stories about their unique life and work. My favorite moment was with Rosemary. She noticed that I had a nose ring and asked if we had any tattoos. We said no, but that we were interested in getting them if she had any good ideas. She considered it for a moment and proceeded to retrieve a recent copy of the paper. She tore out an article about tattooing for me and explained, "It says that tattoos are a form of self expression." It also recommends tattoo parlors, so it could be a pretty handy resource from the sweet old missionary lady.

After we were done eating lunch and discussing permanent forms of self-expression, we went to the village. The Maka are a small indigenous group in Paraguay, distinct from the Guarani in language and culture. We tried to learn a few words in their language, but it contains dozens of sounds that don´t exist in English or Spanish. The village was actually in the middle of an ordinary town outside of the city. Well, ordinary for Paraguay. We turned a corner and were suddenly in another world. Simple, windowless houses smaller than my bedroom. Narrow dirt paths leading from house to house. No bathrooms or kitchens. Lots of kids. Women in sarong-style dress. Men with long hair and gauged ears. Red skin and stout faces. The primary source of income for the Maka is selling crafts to tourists, so we were immediately shown necklaces, figurines, flutes, purses, and other wares. The Maka make a harsh "Shush!" sound when they want you to come over, and it was a strange feeling to have this sound coming from about a dozen people at once. A completely unique people and experience. So naturally the majority of the Maka are Southern Baptists. Seriously.